{"id":353,"date":"2015-09-29T22:23:58","date_gmt":"2015-09-29T22:23:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mercuryboys.com\/?page_id=353"},"modified":"2021-06-01T20:26:39","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T20:26:39","slug":"synopsis","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chandraprasad.com\/mercuryboys\/synopsis\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Synopsis"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe\u2019re sixteen,\u201d she said. \u201cDo you honestly think we\u2019re ready for a \u2018lifetime commitment?\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Sixteen-year-old Saskia Brown is down and out. Her mother has cheated on her father with a substitute teacher from Saskia\u2019s school. Now all her classmates know, and to make things worse, her parents are getting divorced. When her father suggests that he and Saskia move across the country\u2014to the small town of Covington, Connecticut\u2014she agrees. All she wants to do is leave her troubles behind.<\/p>\n

\"droplets-modified\"But being the new kid in town isn\u2019t easy. With her confidence at an all-time low, Saskia has trouble connecting with the other kids at school. She\u2019d rather hide out at home and watch old movies. Fortunately, she makes one promising new buddy: plucky Lila Defensor who convinces her to give life in Covington a try.<\/p>\n

Saskia and Lila soon form a strong bond. Lila even sneaks Saskia into her part-time place of work: a photography archive at a local college. There, Saskia sees a daguerreotype of Robert Cornelius, a little known American pioneer. Something about Cornelius\u2019s image mesmerizes Saskia. She throws herself into learning more about him.<\/p>\n

The night after Saskia handles Cornelius\u2019s daguerreotype and a vial of liquid mercury from the archive\u2019s photography development room, she has a dream about Cornelius. A shockingly realistic dream. She and a young Cornelius meet in a Philadelphia lighting store in the early 1800s. Though she knows it\u2019s impossible, Saskia can\u2019t shake the feeling that the meeting actually occurred. Determined to see Cornelius again, she convinces Lila to help her steal the daguerreotype and more liquid mercury. When she encounters Cornelius in another dream, Saskia realizes she\u2019s either crazy or she\u2019s stumbled upon a way to bridge the past and the present.<\/p>\n

Cornelius, a chemist, tells her he\u2019s not surprised by her discovery. He has worked with mercury extensively and has seen it produce unexplainable, even magical, results. \u201cThroughout history,\u201d he says, \u201cman has believed mercury can do all kinds of things: cure yellow fever, conjure spells, enhance fertility, inspire enlightenment, guarantee immortality, and bring about alchemy.\u201d Perhaps it can even be used for time travel.<\/p>\n

By the last day of school, Saskia\u2019s life has improved. She\u2019s now close to two people: Cornelius and Lila. She\u2019s even caught the attention of Paige Sampras, the most popular girl at Covington High. When Paige invites both Saskia and Lila to her house, Saskia thinks she may have found the circle of friends she\u2019s always wanted.<\/p>\n

\"tattoo-modified\"Saskia opens up and tells the girls about her strange dreams. Impressed, they want the same experience\u2014to connect with young men who are smarter and more mature than the boys at school. The three girls\u2014plus Paige\u2019s sister, Sara Beth, and Paige\u2019s friend, Adrienne\u2014sneak into the archive and pick daguerreotypes of young men they wish were still alive. Their own personal \u201cforever boyfriends.\u201d<\/p>\n

The girls\u2019 relationships with their mercury boys soon become serious, and also complicated. At the same time, the girls form a secret society: the Mercury Boys Club. Initiations take place. Strict rules are created. Punishments are enforced. As the summer heats up, the club begins to dominate the girls\u2019 lives, leading to unexpected and terrifying consequences.<\/p>\n

Threading their way through Mercury Boys are serious questions. Are the forever boyfriends real or a form of mental escapism? Is the Mercury Boys Club a place of true friendship or a dangerous crucible of female hysteria, sexuality, jealousy, and betrayal? Can visiting the past actually help the girls find a better future?<\/p>\n

Suspenseful, absorbing, and historically evocative, Mercury Boys will resonate with readers who have ever visited the borderlands between right and wrong, past and present, real and imaginary.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>